


Out on the Town

by 11dishwashers



Category: LOONA (Korea Band), NCT (Band)
Genre: AU, F/M, dongyoung is a highschool student, takes place in 1997
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-21
Updated: 2017-09-21
Packaged: 2019-01-03 19:10:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,154
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12152985
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/11dishwashers/pseuds/11dishwashers
Summary: Dongyoung gets assigned to review a movie, even though he hates them.





	Out on the Town

**Author's Note:**

> i don't necessarily agree or disagree with anything dongyoung says or claims. he's a character.

Officer, if you want the whole truth and nothing but the truth, I'll tell you everything- gladly. Firstly, fuck my parents. Seriously- fuck them. Secondly, police uniforms look retarded so don't even bother with your intimidation tactics. Thirdly, I hate private schooling and I hate my parents for landing me in this stupidass situation. One of these things is not like the other~

So obviously I wasn't talking to a police officer; it had never been my best interest at heart, though Ms. Kim awfully seemed like one. Ms. Kim. The english class sure got a kick out of that one- unmarried and old and the most logical thing on earth, with none of the logical reasoning that a logical being might have. She was more Dickens quotes than skeleton by the end of the first class, which was an awfully hard thing to achieve with her life expectancy. Okay, that one was a bit harsh, but still- I was pissed off at this whole outrage. 

No, I do not like movies. Especially not 'the' movies. Such an unimportant word, but suddenly it became all datey and toned sepia and city lights when you add 'movies' to the end of it. I almost puked narrating that sentence. The movies were pukey, and not just the bathroom stalls with little kids hacking up popcorn kernels so they hit the toilet bowl loudly(and people said they liked the sound of rain). The thing was, you were expected to bring a *girl* to the movies. If you didn't, it meant that you were a no good teenage delinquent who wanted to ruin the film on everyone. If you did, you were two no good teenage delinquents... together. Seriously. Once I had brought my kid sister to go see some spy film featuring hotshots in suits, and an old couple cooed at us like they were looking at themselves from the past, and I told them right where to put it while my sister laughed uncontrollably. I could show up with old Ms. Kim herself and people would still wonder if we were an item, if we'd hold hands all submerged in a bucket of candyfloss or what. I could puke. I really could. 

Films were a different affair. Going to see a film meant you might get felt up or something- not as cute, but more mature and raunchy or whatever- when I heard the word 'film' I thought about Paris, and about how so many people orgasmed over there and it just made sense to me. I thought heavy petting was a lovely thing, I really did, and held nothing against make out music and that whole shebang- but if I was in a theater and saw you with your girlfriend's upperlip between your teeth you'd sure as hell better start running- it wouldn't even be funny, though my kid sister laughed whenever I mistreated someone, so maybe it would be if she was around. 

That girl was always so predictable- name; Hyunjin. Even that was predictable, though I supposed it wasn't her fault, because it was my lousy parents' fault. Honestly, they were at fault for most things. Like I could go and shoot up a petrol station just for the helluvit and the police would ask 'why would you do that, Dongyoung? You've always been such a lovely boy!' and they'd have their frowny little faces under their stupid blue caps, and all I'd have to do was point at my parents and they'd say 'huh', and probably give me a chance of parole as soon as I stepped out of the courtroom or something. Hypothetically. I wouldn't go and shoot up a petrol station just for the helluvit, even though everyone thought that I would. 

In any case, officer, you can see why I'm the way I am. So think about how I felt when Ms. Kim, hair scalped in one of those buns that girls put in their hair before wearing swimming caps, told the class to write a review of their favourite movie. Surely you see my point. I would if I were you. 

It didn't help that there were all these hotshot guys in my class, who'd stay in to read at lunch. It'd always be something irredeemable too, like Red Rising or The Hydrogen Sonata or American Psycho or anything that was faux masculine, really. And they'd sit with paper plates by them, just so they'd have somewhere to drop their ham from their sandwiches onto. I didn't really know what exactly it was with hotshots and buttered bread, but they seemed to love and worship it, and couldn't handle a slice of cheese or anything nice like that. It was a very weird relationship, I had to say. And then they'd write in the margins in classes and they whipped up pretty great assignments, gotta hand it to them, with footnotes and sections and all that well formatted stuff. When I handed in an assignment, it meant that I was in a parallel universe or something, or that I'd been replaced by an impostor. You couldn't catch me dead writing anything before. And then I stood in front of the school board, who told me to work otherwise I'd get the axe. The school was private after all, it wasn't fair on the other students(read: losers) who were putting the work in, yadda yadda yadda. So I knew I couldn't just skip out on this one. 

Trust me, I've never seen a full movie before. Not til the end credits or anything. I always take piss breaks halfway through to relieve the bowels and the mind- like meditation while watching the bathroom wall, and I didn't look at doors unless I was in a house, and not a stall. And most of the time I'd just stand there without doing anything at all, cos I hate those stupid movies- they could send me to sleep to be honest. Like I'd die. So the first step to actually getting my work done was to watch something, and I couldn't figure out what. 

I rode my old bike downtown after school, and it was in a pretty good condition when I picked it up from the shed, seeing as we were in a private school and lots of kids my age drove their own chauffeurs to school with them. I didn't have a chauffeur to give rides too of course- not that my mam couldn't afford one or anything, because she definitely could- bikes seemed pretty cool. I've always thought so, even with the added hassle of bike locks that don't click til you scrape three years of grime off the metal. In any case, I got the old bike downtown and chained it to a pole that was unoccupied by dog leads, right smack in front of the video store. I hardly ever went there, as you could tell, but I knew where it was because everyone knew where it was- it had a shiny, bright blue sign and luminous writing and these plastic, lifesized models of Scooby Doo and that guy from the Matrix in the window. The guy looked at me through his pinhole glasses as I walked by the window, and I shivered. Those things always freaked me out, seriously- you name it and I've probably pissed the bed while dreaming about it at some point. I dreamed he'd look at me and I couldn't get him to stop, and then there'd be holes through my guts and all that, from where he'd been looking. Boy, did that thing scare me. 

In the store, they had too many rows of movies. There was this girl at the counter, with her red lippy on, and I didn't look away when she glanced over. She was alright, I guess. She smiled, unlike a lot of other clerks. It didn't help the situation, of course, but still- applause for trying, or whatever. 

I walked down one of the rows, and it was filled with those seasonal movies about working class fathers who, in a twist of fate, became Santa's last chance to save Christmas and to get all the presents delivered! See, even though I didn't watch them, I knew an awful lot about films, and why they might have killed me to watch. I ignored all the sappy ones in the section after that, and ended up in the action section, even though I hated those ones the most. The girl at the counter was no longer at the counter, because she was making her way over. I gulped and pulled the zip of my jumper up, so my collar went up over my mouth. I looked a right state. When I walked, I tended to gape, and I knew I did and all, but it was hard work to remember not to gape constantly and I'm no good at remembering anyway, so I always looked like a glass eyed doll with a triangle mouth.She didn't have to do this when she walked- not many people did, and that was why I felt alone in it. Her uniform did her no favours, it wasn't all that stunning, or even that ironed, but her face remained nice and easy to look at. I'm aware I might come off as shallow by saying all these things about ladies, but they were all very near and dear to my heart, and I was young and I loved porn(only type of video I would watch) and a whole lot of em seemed pretty leggy, officer, you know. This girl was leggy too, but they looked like they were jutting out of her sides, like how clothes pegs spinned downwards on the washing line. 

"Need any help?" she said, and her voice was quite squeaky, but I didn't mention it or anything. I wasn't cruel. 

I dropped the zip so my collar fell and my voice wouldn't be muffled. In my head, I had decided to chat a bit. Not specifically chat her up, it wasn't like that. I just didn't have much else to do, had nowhere to be. "I'm looking to watch a good movie," I told her, sounding too old for my age. It was a common effect for me. Or, I sounded too young in that weird roundabout way, the opposite of so-bad-it's-good. That's me- Kim Dongyoung. Unlucky. "Do you have any recommendations?"

She laughed and honked for a second straight. She was a film, all french sounding and flirty, and I could tell cos she had moved a helluva lot closer to me. Our shoes were about a centimeter apart, I tell you. "I only watch girl movies, sorry."

While I wondered what the hell she meant by that, I suddenly got a flashback to my own "girl movies" and decided that we came from different worlds and different public bathrooms. "That's not a problem for me," I said, and I meant it- I really did. Do you think I gave a shit what kind of horror I was about to subject myself to? They were all bad anyway, as far as I was concerned. A chickflick was just trash after being ran through a glitter gun convention. 

"Well... I saw a flick last week," by the way she said it, you could tell she called all the movies she watched 'flicks' like an L.A girl or something, "It's about this girl who just wants to be a writer, but everyone keeps saying 'no! you can't do that!', and then she meets this guy, and I guess you can predict the rest," the last part really surprised me in its awareness. I pushed on.

"Can you get me a copy? I'd love to rent it," no 'I want to rent it'. I wasn't a man of many words, I wasn't even a proper man yet(soon... soon), but I at least liked to be a bit nice when I demanded things, even to shop assistants and teachers and that. We were alone in the store then, seeing as this pikey lookin man had just left. I thought we were alone anyway so it made no difference to me. 

She went out to the stock room, on account of the flick being a rare find or something like that, I didn't catch it really, not when she sounded like she was being fisted as she spoke. Nice girl, really. 

I stood there for a long time and she didn't come back. My legs were getting so tired, and I kept gruelling as I stood. But I couldn't just up and  leave when she said she'd come back. 

A proper ten minutes later, she returned with empty hands. 

"It wasn't anywhere I looked," she told me sadly, almost huffing. She pushed her hair behind her ears, which I was just after noticing were kinda big. 

"Oh, that's too bad," I said. It was and all, no joke about that. I found it hard to be things other than sincere sometimes. That might sound positive, but it really wasn't, it really landed me in some deep, inexcusable shit sometimes. That's why I couldn't tell her her voice was squeaky. It seems like common sense to you, but I had lacked that for a long time- this was of course my parents' fault. 

I'd need a different movie then. There were a lot of them there, nothing new, seein as it was a video store and not a cinema. I could go to the cinema, to screenings. I thought about it while I stood there and waited for her response- I thought very fast, in hindsight. I thought about the whole cinema full of detail, but it was easy cos I pictured it instead of narrating it. Like, if you wanted complete accuracy, officer, I'd have to draw it all up for you. I'm no good at describing sometimes, but the chairs were all rowed and not there, sort of, and there were lights on them stairs so you could see where you were going in the dark, it was pitch black except for the screen, which wasn't silver even though they called it that. It was flashing like explosions in animated stuff. I sat at the back in my mind, for no particular reason. It was the easiest angle to imagine, maybe. 

I thought I might take the old bike back up to the cinema, which was the downtownest part of downtown. 

She responded, though I didn't hear her. 

"Look," I said, for the helluvit, "do you like the movies?"

She didn't have to think about it- "Oh, I adore them," she told me, and you could really feel that she wasn't being all pandery and that she actually loved the damn cinema. 

"You wanna go with me sometime soon? Whaddya say?"

 

My hand was all distracting on the handlebars, cos Heejin had the messiest handwriting and it bothered me. It really did. Her R's looked like A's, H's like M's, I swear to god they did. Also, it kept reminding me of the whole thing. She was a real surprise. She'd told me to meet her by the flower display out by the park at 8, to catch a flick and all. She gave me her number even though it was close to 8 anyway. If I was her, I wouldn't've done that, it was far too risky. 

I pulled up in front of the gate, so I could walk the bike through the narrow gap in it. The groundskeeper was trimming our hedges, the poor guy. Our hedges grew at superbush speed, even though it never rained in this part of town. He tipped his hat at me as I walked by, out of obligation more than anything else. Seriously- every single interaction was based on obligation, especially when it was addressed to me. I still waved to this guy who was in track about twenty years ago with me, and I didn't even know his name or anything. Sometimes I'd even wave at the wrong guy, if they wore the same typa glasses. 

My mam didn't bother with me when I walked in. I swear, she even got the maids to nag me for her- she told them to tell me not to track mud all over the carpets. But the maids weren't quick to talk to me or anything, so I was fine for the most part. It was hard to respond when they did give out. I'd have to apologise, all mumbly, and that's always when I feel the most teenagery, the most Dongyoungy. 

I figured I might freshen up for this thing. It was a date after all. Well, first, I went into my room and got out this small assed notebook that I rarely used, and I copied the number Heejin wrote on my hand onto the pages, so I could wash all the gunky lipstick off. It didn't look gunky on her lips though. I doubt it was made for drawing on people's hands. I say drawing because her handwriting was really that bad, like she was making some wonderful, new age abstract art. 

After I copied the number out I must've gone through my wardrobe about ten times, and then ended up in whatever. I really did want to look composed and all. I went to the bathroom to fix myself up in front of the mirror, and look, I was sorta nervous, but it wasn't all that bad. I had done this kind of thing before anyway. Everyone in private schools dated, sometimes even each other's' girlfriends and boyfriends and siblings. It was pretty wild- even the complete freaks, with their bread and butter, got a little action with the freakettes over at our neighbour school, which wasn't all that neighbouring seeing as it was across the road and then some. They called it a prep school even though it was a high school, which was a bit aggravating, but I couldn't help but love the old building. The girls seemed to be pretty nice- the ones I'd talked to, at least. I didn't date around all that much, even though it was on trend, but I could appreciate a few make out sessions every now and then to ease the nerves or whatever. I liked the looks of things tonight, even if I didn't like the cinema. 

 

I didn't want to show up with my bike. It was loved to death, and I didn't want the wheels to get stolen from chaining it to the park railings. I didn't want to look all smart alec either though, so what I ended up doing, was I got a cab out a block or two away, and I stepped out of it in the traffic so it looked like I was out on my way to the airport. Then I walked through the block. It was one of those past life ones, with brown bricks and delays in development, and the flats looked very public, like you could just stroll up in one with a bottle of Smirnoff Ice and drink on the balcony. I couldn't explain the feeling of the place if I tried(which I did... leave me be). It was cold in summer in this part, a nice tradeoff for the lack of rain. We never got proper sunlight. It was dark out by this time anyway, and the city lights were both distant and too close, and my eyes needed a lotta blinkin to even keep running. 

The place was all lit up yellow when I got to it, even though it wasn't anywhere near Christmas or anything. But the good thing about that was I got a good look at Heejin before we could start to talk, from the distance. She had this really short navy dress on, that kinda hung over her body without clinging to it or anything, like a sack or something, and it had this roundy white collar with it. I didn't look at her shoes because why would I. But, I had to say that I felt ten times more serious about the whole thing when I saw that dress- it sure was dressy. Like, obviously, but still. It wasn't a cute little skating dress, with the sticky outy skirts and the flow and the way it made their asses look perfect, no joke. But Heejin's dress was nicer anyway. Boy, was I getting a load of it. 

I walked over- what else would I do, hey. The park was right by the mall and all, thank god, since I really felt like I was about to get coffined from influenza or something if I didn't move fast. She must have really been freezing, with the legs out and all. 

I wanted to lead her over to the grand entrance doors, cos the small of her back looked real good in that dress. I'm not a weirdo or anything, I'm not usually into backs or being touchy or whatever. It must've been a night to kill or something. She must've worn that dress out a lot. If I could, I would’ve too. 

Anyway, she looked real good, and it was sorta intimidating. If I was a girl I woulda cried about it, I swear. I'm not sayin girls get real sobby over stupid stuff, but I am sayin that they've got a lot more to be sobby about- all the good looking guys in my school were always fingers deep, but you know. It was like being pissy because you weren't as famous as that Matrix guy or something. You just wouldn't. But girls, yeah. I got it a little bit. I really did. 

"Hey," she said to me, and she was smiling all big, so I must not have been too disappointing. Thank god. I was used to all of it anyway, but still. It would be a waste of cab money. 

"Hey," I responded, and it wasn't good or anything. Luckily, she said we should check out the movie times real quick, just in case. So she started running. I almost died when I saw it- seriously, she was running in her flat little shoes and her dress kept strainin and her hair flew everywhere behind her, and I almost got left out there on the pavement. From the back, you could tell she had lacrosse player legs. This was strange because I was pretty sure that our neighbouring school was the only place around town where you could even pick up a lacrosse stick, and I'd never heard of Heejin before. I heard about most people, all the time. Big shocker, I tell you. 

In any case, I ran after her once I reassembled my brain, and she was faster than me and all. I could've died. She even had to wait for me, right up where the movie posters were. She wasn't really looking at them, you could tell she was listening for my footsteps with her big radar ears. The poster in front of her was for some animated movie, with this sparkly eyed lady lying around on this patch of blue roses, with the thorns digging into her and all. The lady was watching me. Those kinda things gave me the creeps, but I didn't let it show.Heejin turned to me. "Oh hey," she said, "this looks cool, right?"

"The art style is really pretty," I said truthfully. She seemed pleased at that, because I was right and all. I wouldn't mind going to see it, to tell you the truth. I wouldn't mind going to see any of em. It didn't matter to me anymore. It wouldn't be enjoyable either way you looked at it. Maybe afterwards would be, thought, when it wasn't all dark so I could see her. She really was somethin else. 

We got ourselves a big bucket of popcorn, with two buttershots cos it was so damn big and I loved the taste of it, and then she got a blue raspberry slushie, which was kinda costy but I didn't complain about paying for it. I just got a soda, and then we were off again. The tickets were for that film with the lady, and I wasn't feeling too hot about it because if it was even a little bit horrifying I'd wet the bed. In the theatre room, we tucked ourselves away near the back, like we might jump the gun a bit early. I couldn't read the situation all that well, to tell you the truth. I had these heaps of popcorn kernels in the box, all cheap like. But I didn't complain, because that wasn't enjoyable or attractive and I kinda wanted to be those things. I ate away like a dog. I really did. It was too dark to notice, though. 

Heejin put her hands on the rest between us, and they were real small for a sixteen year old's. I had half a mind to hold it, but I was too nervous and couldn't bring myself to do it. It was clear she had intentions, but I couldn't, and I didn't know why. The movie ended up being not too bad after all, in the horror department. Qualitywise, it was pretty bad, seeing as I didn't like movies and all. Boy, was I bored by the end of it. When the lights rose about themselves, I left the bucket of popcorn on the seat for the cleaners and didn't hold Heejin's hand. But I did pull her up, sort of. And she smiled at me- would you look at that. 

We went back outside the cinema, where you could see the park. It was the only part of the city without lights, to avoid light pollution; people really protested it. It looked like a great big blob of lake, out in the town. You could see figures in the thin air if your mind was convincing enough. I didn't exactly know what to do out there. I kept shivering my legs, though they weren't that cold. 

"I have to go now," she said, pulling this sad face, and we were just standing around and I felt bad for her coldness, I could've let her go. "My mam wants me home, wouldya believe-" earlier, she'd been talking about her highly demanding parents, and her mam, who wanted her to do medicine and wear labcoats and the whole shebang. "-But I'll call you? No wait... You call me, alright?"

"Alright," I said. 

"Promise me," she said, folding her arms. I couldn't tell which one of the factors lead her to do it- the cold or her huffiness. She was short enough- shorter than me- that it looked kind of silly, kind of sexy in that mad way. Through talking to her, I'd learned she got pouty real easy. Real fucking easy. I coulda sworn she'd stepped out of some Disney movie or something, she had that thing about her. 

"I promise," I said with this big grin, and she unfolded her arms and sort of stamped the pavement with her right shoe, all shyly and all. 

"Okay... See you later, Dongyoung," and she said, and she turned and started her walk home. I would've sent her back on a cab, if I didn't care about looking all smart alec. 

"See you!" I called after her, and she had to smile over her shoulder to even show she'd heard. We were far apart at that point. 

 

It was only nine at that point, so I strolled around for a bit but nothing was really going on. I'd never wanted a dry drink more in my life, but I looked young for my age. I had my ways, but I didn't have my immediate ways so I stopped in at this little newsagents, and it might as well've been a newsstand with its size, to pick up a liter bottle of soda. 

The city was well dark then, and I still wandered about with my hands around the plastic bottle for a bit. The lighting was dramatic and my shadows scared me. I just kept thinking things over. It was one of those sort of nights, and I wished I had my walkman. 

I put myself in a phonebooth by the old crossroads, and it was misty from the temperature, and I was going to give Heejin a buzz but I realised I didn't have her number with me. I wished I'd never washed it off my hand. 

I found myself at this park on the other side of town, and the only bench had all these geese perched on it so I had to run at them with my arms all outstretched, just so they'd leave. Then I sat on the bench and looked at the lake, or the lack of things that it looked like. I worked on my damned liter bottle for as long as I stayed, drinking and feeling sad even though it didn't even have a percentage on the label or anything. My eyes were all slobbery, it felt disgusting, and I couldn't stand it anymore so I stood, left. 

I called a cab out from the bank, and the guy was very soft with me, very nice, but it wasn't creep like or anything, he was just a genuinely nice person. He even tried not to let me pay- I must've looked worse for wear than I thought. I payed him anyway, seeing as I had a lot of money to spend and all. I hoped I'd have to save up real soon. 

The notebook was still on my desk, opened. The number looked all scrawly, but readable. I got my own housephone out from on top of my bedside drawers and gave Heejin a ring, since I could and since I promised and since I wanted to. I didn't notice how late it was, but she didn't pick up. I left her a voicemail- call me tomorrow, I said, this is my housephone number- and then I told her my cell too so she could be as clingy as she wanted to. I was real, real tired after it all. I wanted my bike, though I couldn't figure out why. 

In any case, there was work to be done. So I dropped myself in front of my stupid english copy, headed and lined the page. It was due for tomorrow and all. Some decisions were so stupid, I should've come home sooner. 

My pen wobbled on the first sentence, cos my hands were still kinda cold, cos my eyes were drooping. 

 

I woke up to a drool covered page- headed, lined. Oh crap. 

The phone buzzed on its casquet. And I had the caller ID name saved since last night, just as Heejin. Crap, crap, crap.

**Author's Note:**

> 1\. This is inspired by Catcher in the Rye! What a book!  
> 2\. I'm not tagging this as Loona fic because it isn't really. Heejin is just the name I went with. This Heejin has nothing to do with Loona's Heejin, sort of. Idk  
> 3\. The movie they were talking about is Perfect Blue. https://i.pinimg.com/originals/de/20/20/de20206e780565dd2a5a6f03c7c54632.jpg


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